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5 things that stood out in the Gophers' Week 4 loss to Iowa

The offense started strong but stalled entirely after the halftime break.

Joe Nelson

Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Deshaun Lee (8) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Deshaun Lee (8) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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After back-to-back shutout victories over inferior opponents, the Gophers football team was riding some momentum into the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale against Iowa. But ultimately, the Gophers couldn't pass their biggest test to date, falling to the Hawkeyes 31-14 Saturday night in Minneapolis.

There were some early positives, plenty of negatives and no shortage of things that stood out from the rivalry game. Here are five of those things that stood out from the Gophers' loss:

1. Kaleb Johnson

Johnson scored the game's opening touchdown, scampered in for a score that tied it 14-14 and ran 40 yards up the middle for another that gave Iowa a 21-14 third-quarter lead it would not surrender.

In all, Johnson ran the ball 21 times for 206 yards and three scores. He was an unstoppable force for the Hawkeyes all night long. The U simply didn't have an answer for the standout running back.

Frankly, no one else this season has either. Johnson has rushed for over 100 yards in all four games for the Hawkeyes this season — surpassing 150 rushing yards in three of those — and has at least two rushing touchdowns in each of those games. Johnson's dominance continued in Minneapolis.

2. First-half passing

Since P.J. Fleck took over as the coach at Minnesota, the Gophers have primarily been a run-first team. That's been especially true when facing Iowa in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. But that was far from the case on Saturday, and quarterback Max Brosmer was quite impressive under center.

The Gophers' first touchdown drive was seven plays — all passes. Brosmer went 7 for 7 for 68 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Geers. That stage was set for that play because Brosmer hit Le'Meke Brockingtown down the sideline for a 28-yard gain to the Hawkeyes 3-yard line.

The next touchdown drive just before half took eight plays — six passes — and was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brosmer to Elijah Spencer that gave the Gophers a 14-7 halftime lead.

Brosmer had a stellar first half, completing 17-of-26 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while the Gophers uncharacteristically ran just 10 times in the opening 30 minutes.

But that passing attack slowed in the second half, ultimately leading to the rivalry game loss.

2. Second-half stagnation

Riding high off back-to-back touchdown drives to close the first half with Brosmer looking stellar, it looked like the Gophers might be well on their way to keeping Floyd in Minneapolis for another year. Then the offensive momentum suddenly evaporated. The passing attempts also dwindled.

It started with a seven-play, 12-yard drive that ended with a punt. Then a three-play, 3-yard drive and another punt. Then a three-play, -1-yard drive and another punt. Iowa scored a touchdown after the first lackluster Minnesota drive. Then a field goal after the second. Then another touchdown.

Suddenly a 14-7 Gophers lead became a 31-14 deficit with 11 minutes, 13 seconds to play.

The very next Gophers drive, Brosmer had a pass that was tipped and picked off.

Ball game. The Hawkeyes could already taste pork.

After the stellar first half, Brosmer was just 5 for 11 for 44 yards and a pick in the second half.

3. Unusual feel

A 31-14 final score isn't a typical Minnesota-Iowa final. It wasn't your usual low-scoring affair — though there was still plenty of punting to be had. But the Gophers scored back-to-back touchdowns to close the first half, and mostly behind the strength of their passing attack.

Iowa scored on three consecutive possessions in the second half, a far cry from the ineptitude the offense showed in last year's matchup. While there were still plenty of big stops, sacks and costly Gophers turnovers, it wasn't the typical field-goal fest that takes place when these two teams meet.

4. Early interception

In rivalry games, particularly a rivalry game like Minnesota-Iowa, creating turnovers and converting on a short field can often be the difference between winning or losing. The Gophers found themselves on the wrong side of a turnover early on, and it resulted in a touchdown for the Hawkeyes.

It was hard to tell who is to blame for Brosmer's interception on the second drive of the game for the Gophers. On one hand, Brosmer threw it right to Iowa linebacker Nick Johnson. On the other hand, it looked like his intended target, running back Darius Taylor, had no idea a pass was coming his way.

Whether it was a miscommunication or not, it gave the Hawkeyes the ball in Minnesota territory, and after a big run by Johnson, it was first-and-goal, and Johnson eased into the end zone for his first touchdown of the day and an early 7-0 Hawkeyes lead. The Hawkeyes defense also sealed the game with a tipped-pass interception late in the fourth quarter when they already had a 31-14 lead.

5. Milestones

A pair of Gophers hit significant milestones in their college careers. Taylor ran the ball 10 times for 34 yards, in the process surpassing 1,000 career rushing yards. It took him only nine games to do so.

Taylor played in just six games last season due to injuries but still rushed for 799 yards. He missed the season opener against North Carolina but played the last two weeks and surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the first half of Saturday's win/loss over/to the Hawkeyes.

Jackson, meanwhile, had nine receptions for 112 yards, in the process surpassing 2,000 career receiving yards. Jackson also accomplished the feat in the first half, when he already had seven receptions for 93 yards, but it wasn't quite as torrid as Taylor's pace as Jackson has been at the U since 2020.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

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